Lewisham Secondary Schools - help needed

[prdarling]

We are currently ED residents but considering moving over the border into Honor Oak. Our local primary will be Fairlawn which I am more than happy about but can anyone give me an insight into secondary schools. It's a few years off but I'm finding the whole househunting/estate agent/moving situation so horrendous that the idea of moving again in a few years time is too awful to contemplate.

Any words of wisdom?

Thanks

[VikkiM]

I've spoken to a few East Dulwich/Honor Oak parents whose children go to Forest Hill School. All seem very happy with it. I went there a few years ago and the new sports facilities are really impressive.

Depending on where in Honor Oak you are, and whether you just have girls, you may stand a chance of getting into Prendergast school on Hilly Fields which is a very popular school with good results. My friend's daughter goes and really likes it/would recommend it.

Crofton School in Ladywell is less popular and in the past hasn't had very good results but I don't know anyone with children there so it may be that the results don't paint the whole picture. It's gone into federation with Prendergast and is now called 'Prendergast Ladywell Fields'. The idea behind federations is that schools work together, sharing resources and expertise and hopefully some of the successful leadership and teaching at Prendergast Hilly Fields could begin to make a big difference to the Ladywell Fields school in the coming years.

[ang]

I know it's a bit further but does anyone have any recent views on Haberdashers secondary school. I know it gets good academic results but any comments on atmosphere at the school etc?

[VikkiM]

I don't know much more than the results being very impressive and that it being a hugely popular school/oversubscribed as a result. Aske's recently took over Monson Primary and my understanding is that, as a result, children are guaranteed a place at the Secondary School - this means that places are even tigher.

Entrance is dependent on the usual admissions criteria combining with 'banding' that's worked out as a result of an assessment. For a lot of the bands the further places offered last year were between 300m-600m away so someone in Honor Oak would be unlikely to make it.

[Pickle]

Is Prendergast school a state school? I attend a variety of rehearsals there in the evenings and the facilities they have are amazing... I always assumed it was a fee paying school!

[tallgirl]

I think most of Fairlawn's year 6's have applied to Kingsdale this year. With Aske's it depends on musically ability if you are trying for a scholarship, or if not distance, which is linked to their banding scheme. Some bands were more than 1km last year, whilst one band was 0m due to siblings! Peopel I know with kids at either of these two schools are happy with them.

[VikkiM]

Both Aske's and Prendergast were originally linked/set-up by London Guilds.

I think they will be considered foundation schools or voluntary-aided schools or something like that - not totally dissimilar to state faith schools - with the governing body and/or some kind of charitable foundation, presumably linked to the original Guild, running the school rather than the local authority.

But the schools are still part of the state school system and there are no fees involved.

[MrsR]

Aske's (mixed) and Prendergast Hilly Fields (girls) are extremely hard to get into unless they have a sibling there - even if your child is musical, both schools have hundreds of applicants. In the past most children from Fairlawn went to either Sydenham (girls) or Forest Hill Boys. Last September 14 Fairlawn children went to Kingsdale (mixed) and I believe it will be even more popular this year.

[Huggers]

Ang, both my children go to Askes and really enjoy it. One is very academic and the other is the opposite of academic and it seems to offer good things to both. There isn't an outer catchment anymore and it's the former'lottery' places that the monson children take up- about 45 places.

Except for the music places, looked after children, siblings etc, everyone else is on distance. You may be lucky if your child falls into an undersubscribed band. We know children in Nunhead (south side)who have got in on distance (ivydale)but others (more northerly nunhead)who havent got in. As the Monson childrens' siblings start getting places (who themselves are at monson, or temple grove as it is now) more places will be liberated as the years go on as some of those automatic monson places will be siblings.(if you get my drift)

My childrens contemporaries who have gone to Kingsdale, Charter and Forest Hill have settled well and find their schools good. I think all in all schools in our area are improving.

[prdarling]

Thanks for these replies, very infomative. I have boys so the fab girls' schools are out anyway. I didn't realise Kingsdale and Charters were still an option, so that's great. A lot can change in the next 5 years or so so I guess we'll have to take a punt and see

Cheers everyone

[CaroSwannie]

Do consider Kingsdale - I live in Crofton Park and the P4 goes virtually all the way. I just missed the boat on the improving Prendergast Ladywell Fields (formerly Crofton School) and would now consider it as an option. I was offered Forest Hill Boys (I have not heard a complaint about that school) but opted for Kingsdale because of the music scholarships there. My son is extremely happy and my second son is looking forward to joining in September. If you want further information let me know...

Kingsale, although a large school, is very caring and passionate about its pupils. The staff are very approachable and communication between parents and staff has been excellent so far. Its results are gradually improving and are virtually on a par with Forest Hill Boys.

re: Askes - I have had bad experiences and not all I have heard is positive by a long shot.

[hobbsy]

Hi i am sorry but i would not recommend forest hill school to anyone it has a lot of bullying going on which you don't hear about, my son got bullied at forest hill school it took the head of year two weeks to sort the problem out then he passed it on the the deputy head of year, when i started my son up in boxing lessons i found other children's parents telling me they had nephews and cousins go to forest hill school who had the same problem

[Townleygreen]

Sydenham School is apparently very good (girls), is highly rated, I know a parent who is delighted with the education her daughter is getting. It's just a 176 bus ride away in Dartmouth road.

[Mrs TP]

I understand you are considering schools close to where you plan to move to but not sure if you are aware that you can apply for secondary schools in any London borough. You apply through your borough on their form but can include schools from other boroughs - obvs you will need to meet each school's criteria to stand a chance of gaining a place.

Kingsdale for example allocates places on a lottery system across academic bands, so kids from each ability range get into the school regardless of where they live. The school is in Southwark but kids from Southwark and Lewisham (and elsewhere) in each academic band have equal chances of getting in with names pulled out of a the hat.

Charter goes solely on distance from the school.

You can 'think outside the borough'.

Good luck.

[tomskip]

Prdarling - when you say you didn't realise that The Charter School would still be an option - it wouldn't be from Honor Oak. You will be too far away. You can of course apply to Kingsdale but its not quite the same as applying for any of the other schools as they operate a lottery system.

[Frenchpolisher]

Hi

As well as asking opinions on here I would make sure that you check the Ofsted reports and recent GCSE results for each school. Some of the info on here is a little mis-leading (not saying that's intentional). For example two years ago Kingsdale's results were much better than Forest Hill Boys, last years on the other hand were much worse. Whether this has anything to do with the allegations/investigation is not something I'm prithee to.

For the record my eldest is now in his second year at Forest Hill boys. It wasn't my first choice as I'd have preferred a mixed school, but our impressions, on the whole, have been incredibly favourable. My son is glad that he went and enjoys it immensely. None of us know, or have heard of, any bullying which is not to say it doesn't go on. I can't imagine that there is one school in the area that is completely free of it.

I think Forest Hill's speciality in performing arts really allows boys to express themselves without the fear of bullying. If your kids have an interest in Dance, Drama, Music and Art I'd say it's the perfect local school, while still being strong academically.

[Queenie23]

hobbsy Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Hi i am sorry but i would not recommend forest

> hill school to anyone it has a lot of bullying

> going on which you don't hear about, my son got

> bullied at forest hill school it took the head of

> year two weeks to sort the problem out then he

> passed it on the the deputy head of year, when i

> started my son up in boxing lessons i found other

> children's parents telling me they had nephews and

> cousins go to forest hill school who had the same

> problem

My sons have been at Forest Hill School and they have no problems. I haven't heard of bullying but of course there is bullying in every secondary school. All I can say from experience it is a good school.

[claudine]

I am sorry i have two boys that go to Forest Hill school or should i say had two boys that went to forest hill school my older son in year 11 and my second son who started in september, my older son had no problems in the school i myself would of recommended the school, my younger son on the other hand after the first week he was bullied every day nearly he even got beaten up by two boys when he was coming out of his class, so no not everyone hears about the bullying in Forest Hill school but they also are not going to advertise it and yes it does happen in most schools at some point, but after the experience my younger son had i would never recommend Forest Hill school to anyone i have taken my son out of forest hill school now and he is much happer.

[bornagain]

All schools have bullying. A mark of a good school is that it deals with it effectively.

Claudine, really sorry to hear of your son's experience. Does the fact that he is no longer there mean that the school didn't deal with it effectively?

[Townleygreen]

Sydenham school's the one if you want a girls' school. I am not talking about the fee paying school (which I imagine is very good too)

[Pugwash]

Both my girls went to Sydenham and went onto Uni. There were some instances of bullying but school dealt with it once they knew about it. Both girls wree keen to work and get good grades and the teachers on the whole were very supportive. Daughter 1 had a difficult maths teacher who did not appear to have any time for her and daughter's confidence went prior to her GCSEs. We hired a private tutor who informed us that V's maths were good but the teacher was not explaining theory in the way she could understand it. He suggested that we did not need his input - however we discovered that he also taught Physics which was a weaker area of V's so he concentrated on that. V went on to get 10 GCSEs at A and B grades.